Families Pay Tribute To Teens Found Dead At TITP

13 July 2016, 17:20 | Updated: 13 July 2016, 17:22

The families of two teenagers who died at the T in the Park music festival have spoken of their devastation.

It was announced on Friday that two people had died at the festival site at Strathallan Castle in Perthshire before any of the acts had taken to the stage.

Police are not treating the deaths of 17-year-olds Peter McCallum, from Lochgilphead in Argyll, and Megan Bell, from the Seaham area of County Durham, as suspicious but at the time said they were looking at the possibility they were drug-related.

The family of Mr McCallum have paid tribute to the "kind and caring brother and son''.

They added: "He was a talented singer who had ambitions to become an architect.

"We hope that people, especially the younger members of society, learn a lesson from Peter's death and that they don't put their families through the devastation we are experiencing just now.

"We ask that media respect our privacy at this time and that we are left to grieve in peace.''

In a statement, Miss Bell's family said: "We are devastated at the tragic loss of our wonderful daughter Megan.

"Her death leaves an irreplaceable gap in our lives and she will be so sadly missed by all her family and friends.

"We would also like to thank everyone for the overwhelming number of flowers, cards and condolences sent to us as this very sad time.

"We would respectively ask that we are now left alone to come to terms with our grief.''

A report has been sent to the procurator fiscal.

Meanwhile, it was announced on Tuesday that a body had been found in the search for a man reported missing on his way home from the event.

Police have informed the family of missing man James Richardson, 29, after a body was found near the village of Forteviot on Tuesday morning.

Speaking about the deaths at the festival, Scottish Conservative MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife Liz Smith called for an investigation into "why there are so many issues about public safety''.

She added: "DF Concerts, Perth and Kinross Council and Police Scotland all worked hard to address the 2015 concerns about traffic management and access to Strathallan but the public safety issue remains.

"I am sure everyone will agree that this issue could hardly be more serious. It is essential that there is a full scale investigation as soon as all the facts are to hand and that there are top level discussions about what can be done to prevent this kind of situation recurring.

"We all have a moral responsibility to act.''

Festival organisers DF Concerts and Events said: "For 23 years, our priority has been to bring the best musical acts from around the world to play for Scottish music fans and those attracted to the event from out with Scotland in a fun and safe setting.

"We care about each and every music fan that passes through our gates and the entire festival team is devastated by the tragedies that took place on Thursday night.

"We aim to do everything we can to ensure fan safety by working closely in partnership with Police Scotland and the event stewarding companies to ensure a proactive approach is taken to identifying and dealing with crime. This will be at the forefront of our debrief process for this year's event.''